Posted By The Finsiders On June 8, 2012 @ 9:03 am In Football | No Comments

[1]It’s been quite an eventful off-season for Dolphins Pro Bowl defensive end Cameron Wake, highlighted, of course, by the lucrative new deal that he signed in May.

His new contract has solidified something that was becoming increasingly apparent last season: Wake, already one of the more tenured players on the team, has also become one of its vocal leaders. After last week’s OTA practices, Wake spoke to the media about his ever-expanding leadership role and his expectations for the new defense. Here’s what he had to say:

On how the defense feels about Kevin Coyle’s scheme:

“We’re not hitting the quarterback enough ever, in my opinion. A lot of guys out there feel like we have the tools and we have the pieces to be dominant and that’s what we want to do this year. I wouldn’t expect anything less.”

On what he’s seen from the quarterbacks so far:

“I don’t like quarterbacks, but it’s encouraging watching the young guys out there and of course some of the older guys, too. We’re all coming together, and we’re at each other’s throat everyday out there during these OTA’s getting ready for the season. We’re just making each other better and that’s what it’s all about.”

On taking the younger players under his wing:

“That’s kind of already started. I’m one of the older tenured guys here, not old myself, but one of the old tenured guys already on this team. Some of the younger guys coming in are kind of doing the same thing, tugging on your jerseys going, ‘alright, what do we do on this?’ I remember back when I first got here doing the same thing to those older guys Joey [Porter] and Jason [Taylor]. The torch has been passed and I accept the responsibility.”

“I’m teaching them everything, all my tricks. We’ve got these tackles in this league in trouble now. We’re going to come for your head.”

On the questions rookies ask:

“It’s kind of different because this is new for all of us, but it’s general things like, ‘When the tackles go in like this, what do I do?’ or ‘How do I get out of this move?’ or ‘Show me this move.’ Things like that. I remember asking things like that when I first got down here. It’s always helpful when you can go out there and teach the young guys and help them help the team. It’s encouraging that they’re out there playing hard, and I want to help all I can.”

On rookie DE Olivier Vernon:

“He’s definitely got a motor on him. I think that’s one of the things you can’t teach. You start off with that as a base. If you have a good foundation, you can make a lot of plays. They’re taking these things, things that we all have to work on moving over to that D-end kind of thing. It’s always going to be a work in progress, and I’m looking forward to it.”

On improvement of team concluding OTA’s:

“It’s interesting watching because you can already see improvement from these couple weeks, starting with the field, working out, now going into the OTA’s with a mini-camp coming up. Every day, even myself, we’re kind of learning some of the new techniques and being in a new position sometimes and being down closer to the ball where usually I was on the outside standing up. Every day we’re seeing progress and that’s what it’s all about right now.”

On having rookies look up to him as a veteran player:

“It’s not really that weird. It’s something that kind of started probably last year, maybe even before last year, being one of the leaders of the defense. You go out there trying to play hard and show on the field, but now off the field, as well, being one of the guys in the classroom teaching guys techniques and studying off the field and things like that. It’s not something I’ve looked at as a surprise.”

On rookie ‘hazing’:

“Not yet but we’ve got to get something going. They’ve got it real easy right now. They’re walking around and they don’t even know, but we’re going to have something really good for them once the season starts.”

On new defense against AFC East quarterbacks like Tom Brady:

“I look at the tools we have. I look at all these guys. We have playmakers. We’ve got guys with great motors and guys who are hungry to get to the ball. Quarterbacks, running backs, O-lineman–it doesn’t matter. We have the tools to go out there and be very successful. I don’t think that’s something that is unique to the way I feel. I think other guys, I can speak for them, and they feel the same way. I think it’s something that we’re going to have to put on the field, it can’t just be talk, but I think we have the ability to do it.”